The Dragon's Breath (Aboard the Great Iron Horse Book 3) Page 5

  Kale swung his head around and found Sir Elberone standing on the beach behind him. The waves crashed behind the knight, the bright moon shown down, glittering on his armor. Kale marveled that Elberone had been able to sneak up on him in a full suit of armor. The knight’s mechanical steed was nowhere to be seen; presumably left somewhere back in the darkness along the cliffs. Elberone had also left his lance behind, but still carried his heater shield on his left arm and a longsword at his side.

  “Get down,” Kale said in a loud whisper. “It’s not safe!”

  Elberone gave him a distasteful look. “Cower on your belly, knave. Observe as I slay the beast single-handedly, and return to the mountain with its head as my trophy!”

  With that, Elberone stepped around Kale and strode purposefully across the piles of bones, straight toward the mouth of the cave. Kale had half a mind to go after the rude knight and teach him a lesson, but an uneasy feeling in the pit of his gut told him that such action might not be wise. It wasn’t the knight Kale was worried about. It was the thing in the cave. What was it?

  Twenty feet from the opening, Elberone planted his feet firmly apart, with his heavy steel-clad boot crushing one of the skulls on the pile. He drew his sword and shouted, “Arise, worm of decimation. I seek vengeance upon thee!”

  There was a loud hissing noise somewhere inside the cave and a wave of steam came rolling out. The fog rose straight up the side of the cliffs and dissipated into the sky. Elberone crashed the blade of his sword against his shield with a loud clang.

  “Show yourself, serpent, that I may cleave thee in twain!”

  There came another rustling and a broad, scaly, horned head appeared out of the darkness. The creature emerged, its serpentine eyes aglow, its scaled body glistening red and silver in the pale moonlight. The dragon’s bone-white claws flashed, the scales on its belly clicked and rattled against the stones. The bone pile made crunching noises under the creature’s great weight. A long snakelike tail trailed back into the darkness of its lair.

  Kale’s eyes widened. A primitive, primeval fear he had never known before reached up from the depths of his subconscious to close its icy grip around his heart. Fear was a strange, foreign emotion for the warrior. Kale had battled and defeated every creature imaginable, from wild animals and undead zombies to Vangar sentinels that stood nine feet tall and wore suits of armor powered by steam. All of his battles -all of his experiences- had done nothing to prepare him for what he saw now. This creature, this beast that rose up before him did not exist. It could not exist! It was a fairy tale, a legend, nothing more… Yet there it stood, inexplicable and undeniable all at once. The dragon cast a sweeping, malevolent glare across the area. Its gaze fell on Kale and a shiver crawled down his spine. He felt those eyes burning into him, cold and calculating, radiating intelligence unlike any other beast he had ever encountered.

  “Here!” Elberone shouted, slapping his sword against his shield. “Look at me, dragon!”

  The dragon rose up on its haunches. It stared down at Elberone from a height of no less than twenty feet. Kale watched with an astounded stare as the knight let out a furious war cry and charged the beast, his sword flailing wildly through the air as he ran. The dragon inhaled a great voluminous breath, its chest expanding like a balloon, scales rattling noisily. Leathery bat-like wings flapped out behind it, spreading wide. With a roar, the dragon exhaled a fiery gust that completely engulfed the knight. Sir Elberone disappeared in a wave of flames.

  Kale glanced up and down the beach, looking for a likely escape route. He found nothing promising. There was no shelter, nowhere to hide from a creature such as that. Perhaps if he dove into the sea…

  The dragon exhausted its breath and Sir Elberone appeared. His shield had been charred black by the flames, and smoky vapor rose from his armor, but the knight was otherwise unharmed. He plunged forward with a loud cry, slicing at the dragon’s scaly chest. Kale heard the ringing sound of Elberone’s sword as it clanged against the iron-hard scales. The dragon took a backhanded swipe at him, and Elberone danced out of reach.

  Kale felt the battle-lust rising within him. His adrenaline surged. Suddenly, he was ready to fight... if only he had a weapon. He rose to his feet and took a few steps.

  “My lance!” Elberone shouted. “Get my lance!”

  “Where?”

  “That way,” the knight said, nodding over his shoulder. “Just down the beach.”

  Kale leapt across the stream and broke into a sprint. He dodged the boulders and driftwood as he flew over the dark terrain. The fog closed in, impeding his progress. Throwing caution to the wind, Kale put on a burst of speed... and ran straight into a tall, obelisk-like stone. He slammed into it at full speed and fell back, landing hard on a smooth stone surface.

  Kale’s headache returned with a vengeance. He moaned and rolled onto his side just in time to avoid vomiting all over himself. He emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground, and then pushed to his feet. As he straightened up and turned to reorient himself, Kale realized he had discovered some sort of ancient roadway. A gust of wind blew back the fog to reveal openings in the windblown sand where long stretches of pavestones stretched into the distance. Tall, shadowy shapes rose up all along the road. Kale stepped around the obelisk and came face to face with a demon. He took a step back, instinctively reaching for a sword that was not there. It took a moment to realize he was staring at some sort of ancient statue.

  He leaned closer, studying the eroded stone. The carving had a broad snout with a ring through its nose, and heavy brows that shrouded deep, sunken eyes. Fangs curled up around its lips, and a long serpentine tongue dangled down the front of its chin.

  A shout in the distance, followed by a deep monstrous bellow, snapped Kale’s attention back to the present. He hurried down the road, swinging his gaze from side to side as he scanned the swirling fog. The glitter of steel in the moonlight and the sound of a hoof digging into the dirt led him off the road and into a narrow ravine. Elberone’s horse appeared, standing amongst the shrubs of sage and clumps of wild grain. He heard the click-click-click of its inner workings as the mechanical beast shifted its weight.

  Kale loosened the straps that held the lance to the saddle and stared down at the weapon for a moment, frowning as he noted the strange lever protruding from the handle. He considered touching it to see what would happen, but then decided against it. There was no telling what Elberone’s weapon had been designed for, and he didn’t have time to waste experimenting. He turned to leave and then paused as it occurred to him that it would be faster to ride the horse.

  Kale reached out, sweeping up the reins, and leapt onto the saddle. He pulled on the reins, and the neck obediently swung to the right. The steed did not move.

  “Go!” Kale said, thrusting his pelvis forward in the saddle. “Move, horse!”

  The mount shifted, automatically compensating for Kale’s pitching weight. The gears in its legs made whirring and clicking sounds. Frustrated, Kale searched his memory for everything he knew about horses and machines. River instantly came to mind, and he couldn’t help wishing she was there. She would know how to operate the stupid thing. He forced the thought to the back of his mind.

  Kale knew litte about horses. He hadn’t ridden one since he was a young child. He knew that it was common to heel the creature in the belly as a command to move forward. He tried that, and heard a clang as his boot heel struck a metal plate. The horse didn’t move. Frustrated, he twisted in the saddle looking for some sort of lever or activation device. This movement cause his inner thigh to press against the saddle and the horse took a step to the side. The sudden movement threw him back, and Kale nearly tumbled out of the saddle. He quickly righted himself and gave it another try. This time, he pressed on both sides. The horse moved forward.

  “Aha!” he said, squeezing his legs tighter. “Go, horse. Go!”

  The mount plunged through the brush and leapt onto the road, its gears clicking and whining a
s Kale hung onto the saddle for dear life.

  Kale returned just as Elberone was dodging another spray of flame. The mechanical horse’s movement caught the dragon’s eye. The beast turned its head, redirecting the flames in Kale’s direction. He pulled on the reins, trying to steer the horse out of the path of danger. The mechanized steed flawlessly executed the maneuver, but Kale was not prepared. As the horse turned, the tall warrior’s inertia dragged him out of the saddle. He tumbled through the air, still clinging with one hand to the lance, and landed flat on his back just a few yards in front of the dragon.

  It pounced. Claws and fangs flashed in the moonlight as it bore down on him. Kale had little time to react. He twisted left and right, the sound of claws raking against stone just inches from his face. He pushed back, trying to get upright, and instinctively raised the lance to fend off the attack. The dragon, already advancing on him, was caught off guard. The creature impaled itself, and the sharpened tip found its way between the plate-like scales, plunging into the dragon’s chest. The beast howled, backing away in a panic, ripping the lance from Kale’s hands.

  “Strike now!” Elberone shouted behind him. “Hurry, before she regains her breath!”

  Kale scanned the area for a weapon and his eyes fell on the hilt of a rusted old broadsword. He snatched up the weapon as Elberone leapt past him and began driving the dragon back towards the cave. The beast swiped at the knight with its long spiked tail. There was a whooshing sound as Elberone ducked out of the way, and the tail struck one of the large rocks at the cave’s entrance.

  Sensing an opening, Elberone lunged forward, pushing past the lance that was still embedded in the dragon’s breast. As he drove the blade of his sword into the creature’s belly, the dragon released another burst of flame. Caught off guard, without his shield, Sir Elberone was defenseless. The dragon’s breath washed over him, and Elberone screamed as the flames consumed him.

  Kale watched helplessly as the flames died out and Elberone’s charred body dropped to the ground. The grisly, smoking form bore little resemblance to a human being. The once silver armor was now scorched black, dented and malformed. The dragon threw back its head, tiny spurts of fire gushing out of its nostrils.

  Kale lowered his center of gravity and braced himself for the next stage of the fight. Before he could move, something strange happened. Kale heard a gagging sound and Elberone lifted a hand. The knight was still alive!

  Kale rushed to his side, warily watching the dragon as he knelt down next to the Elberone’s smoldering body. The knight tried to speak, but his voice was like water running over gravel.

  “Save your breath,” Kale said. “Be at peace.”

  “Fool!” Elberone grumbled. “Lisssteennnn…”

  Kale leaned closer. “What is it? What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Switch,” Elberone said.

  “What did you call me?”

  The knight winced. He rolled his eyes. “Switch. Hit… the… switch…”

  Elberone exhaled a long breath and his body went still. The knight’s eyes fixed on a distant point and glazed over. Kale turned, scanning the area. He found Elberone’s sword lying nearby. The blade was warped from the heat, but at least the point was still intact. As he lifted it, the dragon snorted and made a lurching movement.

  Kale stepped back, moving in a slow circle, calculating his next attack. He knew already that the beast was remarkably intelligent. Even as he studied the dragon, he knew it was studying him, observing, trying to anticipate his next movement. Kale knew he had to act before it was too late. The only way to defeat a beast so intelligent was to keep it off guard. With that in mind, he lifted the sword and broke into a run.

  The dragon moved to the side as Kale attacked. The warrior had hoped to strike at the dragon’s foreleg and sever a tendon. Instead, the blade glanced across the scales on the beast’s meaty thigh. The dragon swiped at him, striking Kale in the shoulder, knocking the warrior off his feet. The sword slid from his grip and clattered out of reach.

  The dragon glared down at him, slender flames dancing out of its nostrils, serpent eyes blazing furiously. The beast straightened, broadening its massive chest, and began to suck in a great gasp of air. Kale knew what was coming next. He turned his head left and right, scanning for some sort of shelter, and his eyes fell on Elberone’s heater shield lying just a few yards to the side. But before he could move, the dragon opened its jaw and unleashed an inferno.

  Kale rolled to the left, avoiding the path of the flames. He took shelter behind one of the boulders at the edge of the clearing. The dragon’s head swayed from side to side as it sprayed the area with fire. Kale suddenly realized that for all its power, the beast couldn’t see anything beyond its own flames. He leapt out from behind the rock, doing his best to avoid the flames as he tumbled to the side. As the dragon exhausted its breath, he lunged forward and latched onto the handle of Elberone’s lance, which was still projecting out of the dragon’s chest. Kale grunted as he drove the weapon down, forcing the blade deeper into the serpent’s ribs. The dragon made a gagging sound and let out an ear-piercing screech. It reeled, stepping back towards the cave, but Kale held onto the shaft, pressing forward, driving it ever closer the beast’s heart.

  Kale was confident he had the dragon beat, but the creature’s tail came out of nowhere and swept his legs out from under him. Kale landed on his back. He pushed up, crab-walking backwards across the bones, slipping and tripping every few steps. He was certain the next attack would finish him, but thankfully the creature was momentarily distracted. The dragon roared as it clawed at the lance handle.

  Suddenly, Kale understood what Elberone had meant. The switch! he thought. Elberone had meant for him to press the switch on the handle of the lance! Unfortunately, with the dragon standing upright, the lance was a dozen feet in the air.

  Kale leapt to his feet. He broke into a run, and the dragon took another swipe at him with its tail. The appendage flicked back like an uncoiling whip and Kale ducked low, sliding beneath it. He instantly regained his footing. Using his inertia, the warrior leapt onto a nearby stone and sprang into the air.

  The dragon leaned into the attack, snapping at him with its mighty jaws. Kale twisted, his body grazing the dragon’s snout as he reached for the lance. He caught the end of the handle, slid his grip forward, and hit the switch as hard as he could.

  Kale fell to the ground, landing awkwardly on the bone pile. Grim disappointment washed over him as he looked up at the beast and realized all he had done was for naught. The lance still protruded from the dragon’s chest. Nothing had happened. Worse yet, he now had the beast’s full attention.

  Kale turned and ran in the other direction. The dragon’s tail slashed at him. It struck the warrior with enough force to throw him over the stream and fifteen feet down the beach. Kale tumbled as he landed. He groaned and rolled over, pushing up to his knees. The dragon snarled and took a step towards him. It lifted its head, sucking in another deep breath. Kale grimaced.

  “So this is how I die,” he mumbled.

  A clicking sound came from the lance’s handle. Kale frowned, staring at it, trying to understand what the thing was doing. The handle moved, twisting left and then right with the ratcheting sound of a wind-up gearbox. Then, quite suddenly, there came a loud Whomp! and the handle ejected away from the lance. The explosive force drove the tip of the lance forward, deeper into the dragon’s chest. The creature stumbled back a few steps, eyes widening with surprise. It coughed, belching out flames, and then crashed to the ground. The dragon landed on its belly, breaking the lance with a loud crack. The ground shook as the dragon’s heavy body hit the ground.

  Suddenly, everything was quiet. The waves crashed on the beach. Somewhere overhead, a raptor cried in the darkness. Kale moved forward cautiously, eyes fixed on the dragon. The creature’s breath came in slow, shallow gasps. Tiny drops of flame trickled from its nostrils, starting little fires on the ground. The beast’s wings rattled with on
e final shudder and fell limply at its sides. The dragon’s eyes went unfocused, and a great exhale escaped its lungs. The dragon was dead.

  Chapter 7

  Kale stood there a few seconds catching his breath, hardly daring to believe what had just happened, much less that he was even alive. When he came back to his senses, he wandered back up the beach and located Elberone’s bent sword. So armed, he returned to the corpse and cautiously poked at the dragon’s massive snout with the tip of the blade, just to confirm that the beast was in fact dead. As he touched it, Kale heard a loud hiss. He leapt back in a panic, raising the sword defensively.

  The dragon’s corpse remained motionless, and Kale realized that the sound had come not from the serpent, but from the direction of the creature’s lair. He turned and saw a gust of steam rolling out of the entrance. The mist drifted out into the cool night air and floated up over the cliffs before it vanished.

  At this point, common sense told the warrior that it was time to go; that he should find his way back to the train and tell the others about what he had found. He should warn them. If there was one dragon, there were sure to be others. Naturally, he did just the opposite.

  Kale snatched up a fiery brand from the edge of the clearing and strode fearlessly back towards the cave. The bones cracked under his feet as he walked. He swung a wary glance back towards the beach. The tide was moving in, and the waves were already crashing up against the dragon’s tail.

  Gripping his sword, the warrior stepped into the darkened mouth of the cave. The light of Kale’s torch forced back the shadows, and the cave opened into a tunnel approximately twenty feet high and fifteen wide. Here and there, stalactites and stalagmites grew out of the stone like horns spiraling towards one another. He heard water running in the distance, a stream perhaps, or a small waterfall, and then what sounded like the whimper of a human voice. He tightened his grip on the sword, staring into the darkness ahead. The dripping water seemed to drowned out all other noise, and he couldn’t be sure whether what he’d heard was real or imagined. Holding high the torch, he proceeded into the tunnel.